Port dues in Rotterdam will be lowered next year to below the 2008 level.
The existing discounts will be maintained, inflation will not be passed on again and the Port of Rotterdam Authority will be giving an extra 2% discount on the port dues. In addition to this, € 5 million of the port dues will be devoted specifically to initiatives from the business sector aimed at making the port more sustainable.
Hans Smits, CEO of the Port Authority : “ Although throughput is rising slightly, a lot of companies are having a tough time. We hope that this massive discount will help our clients and bind cargo to Rotterdam. So it works both ways. We are also sending out a positive signal by spending an extra € 5 million on initiatives by the business sector to make the port more sustainable .”
Wim van Sluis, president of Deltalinqs : “ The port of Rotterdam is strengthening its position, as the biggest and best-quality port, with increasingly competitive tariffs. In this way, it can work with the port business community to further increase its market share in the Hamburg-Le Havre range. This signal to the market provides the right impetus for further increasing import and export trade via Rotterdam and means a boost for the Rotterdam and Dutch economy. ”
Albert Thissen, president of the Association of Rotterdam Shipbrokers and Agents : “ This shows that the Port of Rotterdam Authority is sensitive to the extremely difficult situation very many shipping companies find themselves in, and that it understands what the market needs now. ”
[mappress] Dredging Today Staff, November 9, 2012; Image: portofrotterdam